Liberal Arts and Sciences, General Studies and Humanities at Washington University in St Louis

A Bachelor's in Liberal Arts from one of the nation's most selective universities—with a 12% admission rate and average SAT of 1530—produces estimated first-year earnings of $37,589 based on comparable Missouri programs. That's essentially at the state median but well below what other top-tier Missouri schools report for their liberal arts graduates. William Jewell College liberal arts grads earn $50,663 in their first year, and Saint Louis University reports $48,829—both significantly higher than what peer programs suggest for WashU's outcomes. The estimated debt of $29,906 creates a 0.80 debt-to-earnings ratio, which is manageable, but the earnings figure itself raises questions about return on prestige.

The uncertainty here matters. Because the DOE suppressed actual outcomes due to small sample size, we're relying on estimates from other Missouri liberal arts programs—many serving very different student populations than WashU's highly selective cohort. You might reasonably expect graduates from a school where only 16% receive Pell grants and the average SAT exceeds 1500 to outperform state medians, yet the available data suggests otherwise. This could reflect the nature of liberal arts degrees more broadly, where first-year earnings often understate long-term career trajectories, or it might indicate that WashU's liberal arts graduates pursue paths—graduate school, nonprofit work, creative fields—where initial compensation lags.

For a family paying WashU tuition, this estimated earnings picture warrants direct conversation with the university about actual graduate outcomes, particularly if alternatives include merit aid at schools like William Jewell where reported data shows stronger initial returns.